


Accio

by petitecanard



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28904658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petitecanard/pseuds/petitecanard
Summary: In a clear oversight, Rose Weasley's Auror handbook had not covered what to do after drunkenly summoning a random man to her flat.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Rose Weasley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

_September, 2032_

Rose Weasley looked doubtfully at her assorted female cousins and their including array of wine and chocolate. "Is this a good idea? Last time was a disaster."

The memory of the last time her cousins had plied her with wine was like a punch in the gut, her stomach dropping and knotting into itself when Rose thought of that evening and the tsunami of emotions afterward.

"Or," pointed out infinitely stubborn and contrarian, but light-hearted Lily Potter, "it worked out perfectly."

Rose groaned. She didn't think anything had worked out perfectly. Six months ago, when her cousins had last crowded into her flat to comfort Rose, she had been miserable and heart-broken. Now she was miserable and heart-broken _again_.

"You shouldn't have to worry about me." What Rose really wanted was to continue steeping in her misery that everything was horrible and would continue to be horrible and even more horribly, it was all her fault, while watching a mildy distracting Muggle show. Her cousins, though wonderful, had the unerring tendency to call Rose out on her bullshit, of which there was quite a lot, and Rose was not in any mood for that.

"Stop it," said Dominique, who was apparently in the mind-set to ignore Rose's desires and pointed glares. "This is what we do. We help each other out. You're acting stupid and you need a _serious_ intervention."

"Godric Gryffindor have mercy," Rose choked out, covering her face.

Gentle Molly settled into the couch next to Rose, pulling her into a hug. "Come on, she's not stupid, Dom. She's being human. Just tell us what happened, Rosie."

Rose burst into tears on Molly's shoulder. "I am stupid. I'm a stupid, stupid girl for falling in love with him of all people."

Over Molly's shoulder, Rose saw Roxy pour a full glass of wine. "I empathize, Rose, but I really think you're overcomplicating this. Literally just talk to him." Rose stared, wide-eyed at Roxy, her brain overworking itself with imagined crises. If bad communication had gotten Rose into this mess, then the sensible thing was to curl into herself and never say a vulnerable word ever again, especially to _him_ , with his outrageous gift of drawing every unsaid word out of Rose.

Roxy handed Rose the glass of fancy French wine and kept talking. "He's hot, is loved by our family, and cares about you. What's the the problem?"

Rose spluttered, her temper rising even as tears still ran down her face. "The problem?" She gestured wildly, trying through hand motions to convey the utter despair of her situation. "He's bloody Sirius Black!"

* * *

_Four Months Earlier, May 2032_

Rose fell onto her couch. "I'm not going to cry anymore," she announced, her overfull wine glass close to spilling. It was a lie. Rose cried more than any adult she had ever met, even convincing herself in Fifth Year that her tear ducts were broken before realizing she just had the misfortune of being really goddamn in touch with her emotions.

"Good," Roxy said in her matter of fact way, sounding like her mum, Auntie Angelina. "It's been two weeks. If you spend another minute crying over that piece of shite I'll scream."

Rose laughed, because she was getting drunk and wanted to laugh at something. "Come here, Roxy. I love you," hiccuping, she looked at her cousins, "I love you all. I love you so much." She undeniably loved her silly cousins who were bonded together by a Wizarding World that misunderstood them because of their Weasley and Potter surnames.

"Should we take away her wine?" Dom stage whispered.

"No!" Rose took another, inelegant gulp. "This is my wine to help me get over my fucking ex who dated me because my mum is the Minister and he wanted a bloody promotion!" Fucking Martin Massey. Rose was too fucking old at twenty-six to be bamboozled at such an alarming degree by a pretty face and nice words.

Victoire patted Rose's bushy red hair soothingly. "Keep the wine."

Rose leaned into her. "I thought he loved me, Victoire."

"I know, Rosie."

"You have to get revenge on that slug, Rose," announced Lily, her green face mask detracting from the gravity of her tone. "I made a list." She drew a worn notebook from her pocket. Rose looked at it curiously. Knowing Lily, the list would either be brilliant or dramatically absurd. The thought made more affection rise strong in Rose's chest.

Molly, unaware of the fresh tears rising in Rose's eyes, took the list. "Let's see." She read the paper, a small frown forming on her freckled face. "Lily," Molly sighed. "Most of these are illegal. Rose is an Auror."

"So she probably knows the best ways to get away with shit," Lily argued, hands on her hips.

"Merlin, you are such a Slytherin," Dom said with good-natured disgust. Lily stuck her tongue out.

"Lemme see." Rose waved her hand for the list, only vaguely aware that her movements were uncoordinated and her words were slurring. At the very least, she thought the list would make her laugh. "Lucy, gimme the list."

Lucy took the list from Molly and looked it over. "These are pretty good, Lily." She handed it to Rose.

"Okay, okay." Rose sat up and tried to concentrate. "Hmm. 'Fill Martin's office with fireworks. Put itching powder on his desk chair. Tell my Mum to fire him. Tell Uncle Harry to fire him. Find sexy dress and also sexy man to make Martin jealous and realize what he's missing.' Oh. I like that one!"

"Me too. But it's so hard to find good men in the Wizarding World who are single, attractive, and haven't dated one of our cousins," Lily complained, pouting.

"Well let's try!" Wobbling, Rose stood up from the couch, wine still in hand. Part of her wanted a good laugh, and the drunker, less rational part of her had a desperate hope that magic might well, be _magical_ , and help her out a bit. Rose took a sip of the wine to fuel her drunk mind.

"Okay. _Accio . . . Accio . . ._ " Rose giggled. " _Accio sexy wizard who is the opposite of my ex and hasn't dated one of my cousins!"_ Rose squeezed her eyes shut and flourished her wand in large, swirling motions. Laughter ensued.

"Damn," Dom said dryly, making Rose open her eyes. "It didn't work. And I really thought it would."  
Laughing at her attempt, Rose fell back on the couch.

With a crack like apparition, but infinitely louder, a man fell into the center of the living room, a wand grasped in his right hand.

Someone, Rose thought it might be Molly, started screaming. Rose knew it wasn't her screaming because she had painfully bitten her tongue in shock.

"He's not even that hot," Rose said dumbly. The man looked unkempt, and rather ill. His clothing wasn't tattered, but it was old, ill-fitting and worn out, his face disguised by equally questionable choices in facial hair.

"Did you kidnap someone?" Molly screeched, forcing Rose out of her drunken judgement of the man's appearance.

"Calm down," Rose ordered, a semblance of her Auror training kicking in through the alcoholic haze. She was a damn good Auror, even when her senses were dulled by wine and heartbreak. She summoned the wand of the unconscious wizard to be safe, and held it loosely in her left hand. "Just, just, Victoire can you bring me a Sober-Up Potion so I can figure out what to do?" Her mum was going to bloody kill her.

Victoire summoned a potion and handed to Rose, who gulped it down without a second thought.

"Fuck, Rose! He's awake!" Roxy yelled, pointing at the man on the floor who had opened his eyes.

The potion and adrenaline pushed Rose to crouch by his side, wand firmly in hand. "Hello, sir. I'm Rose. Do you need to go to St. Mungo's?"

The man lifted himself just enough to vomit on Rose's shoes, the sound of him retching worse than the sight of Rose's favorite plush slippers covered in gunk. Rose wrinkled her nose in disgust, but she flicked her wand and vanished the mess before anyone complained about the horrible smell.

"Am I in heaven?"

Rose pursed her mouth at his odd question, certain her face was now fully scrunched in confusion. In a clear oversight, her Auror handbook had not covered what to do after drunkenly summoning random men.

"Isn't that some Muggle pick-up line?" Lily asked from behind Rose.

"Be quiet!" Roxy hushed.

"Not heaven then," The man decided, looking at the room in a decidedly curious way. "Is this a coven?"

Part of Rose laughed internally at the idea, remembering the games she and her cousins had played in the woods outside the Burrow when they were little, pretending they were adult witches with adventures to go on and people to save, a bit like she imagined a coven to be.

"Oh that'd be fun!" Lily exclaimed. Rose could hear the mischevious smile in her tone. "We'll do that next wine night."

"We're never having a wine night again." That was Lucy. "We're going to jail for kidnapping him."

Rose's eyes landed on the grey ones of the man each other, panic burning through her. "You weren't _kidnapped!_ " She exclaimed. "Lucy, we didn't _kidnap_ him!"

"You tell the Aurors that," Dom grumbled.

Many people in the Auror Department didn't like Rose, thinking she had only been accepted because of her mom and Uncle Harry. If kidnapping was on her record they would have even more fuel to get her transferred to another Department, accidental as this kidnapping was.

"I can't say I mind being kidnapped by you all," the stranger said, his raspy voice surprisingly pleasant. "But I have to go now."

Noticing the man eyeing his wand in her hand, Rose went to stand up from her kneeling position so she could keep his wand away from him, at least until she figured out who he was and what had happened. A smirk rose on the man's face, as if he was reading her thoughts. He reached out his hand. "I'll be needing this, thanks." He snatched the wand from her even as Rose instinctively grabbed his wrist and pointed her wand at him.

"Stop it!" She screeched as her stomach plummeted and he Apparated them away.

Rose landed ignominiously on the man on a dark street. She scrambled to get off of him, ignoring the part of her brain telling her that this man was built much more solidly than Martin. By the time they were both standing the man was yelling at her.

"You could've been splinched you bloody moron!"

Rose, ever the professional, made a face at him. "If you had let me explain what happened before you Apparated away, then I wouldn't have grabbed you!"

The man scowled, shifting nervously. "I never asked for an explanation from you!"

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. She knew that accidentally summoning someone into her flat and then following them wasn't polite, but her curiosity was piqued by the stranger. More importantly, his responding rudeness fueled Rose's self-righteous indignation."I was trying to give you my explanation and an apology!"

"Fine then." He eyed her, frowning.

"Okay," Rose said slowly, wondering if she owed him an apology or vice versa. She looked away from him and noticed they were standing on the stoop of a too familiar house. Rose's concern about the man in front of her skyrocketed.

"Why are we here?"

The man tensed. "I was just trying to get to a London street."

Rose, certain he was lying, clenched her wand and shifted to a defensive posture. It was a stretch to think that this man had arranged to dump himself into her flat only to Apparate to Grimmauld Place as a way to get close to Uncle Harry, but Rose knew too well that the Wizarding World was full of some absolute nutters who were unhealthily obsessed with her uncle.

"Are you a stalker?" She asked.

"What?" The man seemed genuinely shocked, assuaging some of Rose's fear. " _You_ kidnapped _me_."

Rose's self-righteous indignation flooded back in extreme force. "I didn't kidnap you!"

The man gave her a doubtful look, which did not improve Rose's temper. "How about you just leave," he said, trying to sound threatening. He would have succeeded if Rose wasn't an Auror. "And we'll both forget about this."

The door to Grimmauld Place opened before Rose could give this odd man a piece of her very annoyed mind.

"Oh it's you Rose," Uncle Harry said, the door barely open. "You ticked off the wards."

"What the fuck?" The man yelled, catching sight of Harry.

It took less than a second for Uncle Harry, trained Auror that he was, to point his wand at the man standing next to Rose and to order them both inside.

"Uncle Harry?" Rose murmured as he closed the door, ignoring the incoherent stuttering of the man next to her.

"Harry," the man next to her practically sobbed, launching himself at her Uncle.

Rose Stunned him and he fell instantly, thumping onto the hardwood floor of Grimmauld Place.

"Rosie!" Harry exclaimed.

"Do you know him? I thought he was attacking you!" Rose said, not sure where she had gone wrong, but certain she had.

"You need to tell me where you met this man!"

"Who is he?" Rose's heart dropped into her stomach at the thought that she had led some crazy stalker right to her favorite uncle.

"He _looks_ like Sirius Black."

Rose was torn between laughing and screaming. What came out of her mouth was some type of strangled gurgle. "Sirius Black is dead."

* * *

Once it was confirmed by the Auror Office that Rose had accidentally brought Sirius Black from the Veil, Harry had immediately needed to question Rose, who was feeling incredibly fatigued from the whole experience and, unsurprisingly, on the edge of tears. Even with repeated evidence, and the man's claims, it was nearly impossible to believe that Rose had caused some magical reaction to revive Sirius Black. The situation was terribly insane.

Rose was of half a mind that this evening was an elaborate prank that her cousins James and Lily had planned to finally make Rose lose her goddamned mind. But before she could find proof of that, or even get a night of rest to settle her disbelieving thoughts, Rose needed to work through this interrogation without losing her beloved job.

"Rose," Uncle Harry said heavily, tugging on his hair that was somehow messier than usual. "What was the exact spell you used before Sirius appeared?"

"Um, like I said," Rose prevaricated. "I used the Summoning Spell."

"Rose," Uncle Harry repeated, becoming more her boss than her uncle with his unflinching tone of voice.

Rose hunched her shoulders. "I believe I said. . . . Well, please don't laugh," she said miserably. In a few days she would surely celebrate the miraculous resurrection of Sirius Black, but currently she was bewildered at her role in it. "I said _Accio sexy wizard who is the opposite of my ex and hasn't dated one of my cousins._ "

Harry expression froze. "You're serious."

"No, Sirius was the man who appeared after I said that."

_"Rose!"_

"I'm sorry!" Rose raised her hands in a show of innocence. "But this whole thing is ridiculous! I'm never drinking wine again. I probably will once you fire me, but I'll drink less of it! I promise!"

Uncle Harry shared a long glance with Auror Talmadge, who was also in the interrogation room. Rose was relieved that neither of them had outright laughed at her yet. "Rose, we're not firing you—"

"Really?" Rose put her hand on her chest as she took heaving breaths in relief. "Really? Sweet Merlin, thank you."

"We can't fire you for saying," Harry peered at Talmadge's diligent notes, "ahem, _Accio sexy wizard who is the opposite of my ex and hasn't dated one of my cousins._ "

"Oh, Godric." Rose buried her face in her hands.

Uncle Harry maintained a remarkably calm facade despite the situation, which Rose hoped she would be able to emulate after a century or two of experience and perspective.

"I'm sure the Department of Mysteries will also want to interview you," he said. "So until that inquiry is over you won't be going into the field. Instead I'm assigning you to Sirius, to help him adjust to 2032."

"Okay," Rose agreed weakly. "That's fair. What does that entail? Is he staying with you?"

"I don't know yet," Uncle Harry said.

They found Sirius chatting with her Mum while everyone in the Auror Office stared. Rose glared at them, and her co-workers at least pretended to get back to work, although to be fair no one did work during the night shift.

"Hi, sweetie," Mum said, pulling Rose into a hug. Rose melted into the comforting presence of her Mum for a moment before stepping away, lest she burst into tears on the Minister for Magic's shoulder.

"I've been filling Sirius in," Mum said. "Since no one thought to tell him what has happened in the forty-odd years since he fell in the Veil, either before or after questioning him." Mum slanted a sharp glare at Uncle Harry, who looked properly cowed under her fearsome expression.

Rose locked eyes with Sirius uncomfortably. The atmosphere was tense, since no one knew what to do with someone who had been revived after forty years. "I'm Rose Weasley," she stuck out her hand, "I'm the one apparently responsible for you being here. I'm sorry for Stunning you earlier."

Sirius shook her hand firmly, seemingly forgiving Rose for her earlier belligerence. "I'm glad to meet you properly. How did you get me back?"

"Yes, Rose," Mum said, intent gaze now on her. "That's a very extraordinary piece of magic."

Rose swallowed, looking at Uncle Harry who carried clear amusement in his eyes. "It's really inexplicable. I was actually drunk and saying silly things, and I guess," she gestured circles in the air as if that would help her explanation, "a magical reaction happened. But I'm sure the Department of Mysteries will be all over this and provide a better explanation than I can."

"Right." Mum thankfully took over with the aplomb befitting a Minister for Magic. "I was just talking about plans with Sirius. Harry, I offered up Grimmauld Place, and Sirius decided to stay there until we can find him an flat or a house."

"Great." Uncle Harry looked pleased, almost bouncing with restrained boyish delight. "I can't wait for you to meet the kids, Sirius."

"I'll help you, " Rose said. "I'm not working while the DoM is making sure I'm not a necromancer, so Uncle Harry suggested I help you figure everything out."

Sirius rocked back on his heels, grinning at her. "Looking forward to it."

* * *

_September, 2032_

Lily nudged Rose after her retelling of how Sirius had dropped into her living room. "We know this, Rose," she said. "We were there when Sirius appeared. Then Dad freaked out, brought you and Sirius to the Auror Office, and interrogated you. The people at the Department of Mysteries thought you were a necromancer, blah blah blah."

"Tell us when you fell for him," Victoire demanded, as Roxy gave Rose another glass of wine. Rose took a long sip, to disguise her blushing face.

"I'm getting there!" Rose said. "I didn't see him and immediately decide that I would let my hormones get the best of me!"

Roxy sent Rose a very skeptical look.

"It's not as if anyone want their hormones running around being crazy," Lucy said. "It just happens."

"Also," Dom said with a smirk. "Sirius is hot, in like a bad boy-aristocratic-older guy way."

"Thank Merlin he didn't age in the Veil," Lily agreed.

"I know," Rose grumbled, instead of admitting she was a liar, liar pants on fire who had let her hormones run amok. "It's very annoying." Of course her cousins would realize Rose was lying, but Rose felt ashamed to admit how quickly she had fallen for Sirius Black: ex-convict, Marauder, her uncle's godfather, Teddy's cousin, and et cetera. Sirius was the definition of forbidden fruit.

Dom rolled her eyes. "Rose, can you just tell us how you got Sirius Black to follow you around like a little puppy."

Rose snuggled further into the couch, curling into Molly. "Fine. But I want chocolate first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is cross-posted on fanfiction. net


	2. Chapter 2

_May 2032_

Sirius greeted Rose unusually when she met him in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place the next morning. "I like mysteries," he said, pointing his egg-covered fork at her. "And you bringing me back from the dead is quite the mystery. I think we're going to have fun together."

A mix of emotions simmering in her chest, Rose said, "I thought we should actually go shopping."

Sirius looked incredibly at ease in the Grimmauld Place kitchen. Rose knew she looked like an exhausted goose, and unlike Sirius she had been alive yesterday. She started looking for the cereal, because that was easier than looking at Sirius's now cleanly shaven and well-rested visage in new clothes. Sexy man who was the opposite of her ex and hadn't dated one of her cousins indeed.

"Good morning, Rosie," Aunt Ginny said, distracting Rose from her horribly inappropriate thoughts that were making her heart beat too fast for this hour of the morning. "I heard you had quite a night. I knew I shouldn't have let Lily steal my wine."

"Yeah, let's blame this on Lily," Rose agreed, as Ginny handed Rose the milk for her cereal.

"I expected more excitement about raising me from the dead," Sirius said.

Rose sat across from him to eat her cereal. "I promise I'll be excited once the Department of Mysteries decides I'm harmless."

Rose heard Ginny snort. "You, harmless? I'll believe it when I see it."

Rose blushed. She was quite dangerous in a fight, mostly because if Aurors weren't good at their jobs they would promptly die.

"So you're an Auror?" Sirius gave her a considering look that made Rose blush even more. Rose didn't know what was more ridiculous, her strong attraction to him or his unfairly sharp jawline.

Rose nodded. "Even after whatever stunt I pulled last night getting you here," she turned to Ginny, "who else knows about Sirius? I told the girls when I got home last night, but I don't know who they told."

Ginny grinned wickedly. "I made sure no one told James and Al, and I told them to come for breakfast because I have a surprise for them."

Rose laughed. "James thinks you're a god. I think he once tried to put up a shrine for you in his bedroom before Al told him that was creepy," she told Sirius.

Sirius leaned over the table, mischief clear in his face, and damnit Rose really had raised a very attractive man from the dead. "Is that how you brought me back? Using a shrine and creepy spells?"

Before Rose could either answer him or further consider the tension between them, the Floo sputtered. Rose sprung away from Sirius, moving towards the end of the kitchen where the Floo was, and said, "that'll be Al and James then."

A familiarly tall man, who was certainly not a Potter, stepped out of the fireplace. "It's Scorpius, actually. Al and James are behind me."

"Scorpius!" Rose squealed, delighted that her best-friend was there.

"Scorpius?" Sirius asked, confused.

Rose scrambled, as clumsy as Scorpius was graceful, to embrace him, instantly feeling at ease when she smelled his familiar cologne. "I'm so glad you're here for this."

"For what?" Scorpius asked, drawing her away from the Floo so his husband could arrive.

"Hey, Rose," Albus Potter said moments later.

James, always pulsing with energy, tumbled out of the Floo next, straightening and brushing ash from his hair. He frowned when he saw Rose, who was grinning wildly, excited that she was going to see James meet his hero. "You're the surprise?" He asked, unimpressed. "I saw you yesterday."

"No, you prat," Rose said, rolling her eyes even though she was used to James's antics. "Guess what I did last night."

James noticed Sirius staring at them.

"You met someone and brought them to Grimmauld Place?" James laughed. "Poor sod."

Rose refused to think about what would happen if she met someone who looked like Sirius on a night out, instead saying, "James, he's Sirius Black!"

James gently knocked on her head. "Rosie, I think you took too many spells to the head. You might have to retire before Dad."

Rose couldn't be upset that James didn't believe her. She had woken up that morning thinking Lily might have slipped some kind of hallucinogen in her wine last night. "I know it's crazy, but that's actually him. Auror Department confirmed. And," she added slyly, "he will solemnly swear that he's up to no good."

"You know the Map?" Sirius asked.

James nervously looked at his Mum. "Might have seen it once or twice." It amused Rose how Aunt Ginny could strike equal fear and love into everyone.

Rose laughed. "Pretty much, since Al, Scorpius, and I stole it from you and Fred."

James, forgetting Sirius, revived the old argument. "I still can't believe you did that, Rose, and then these two wasted it for hooking up!"

"Not fair!" Protested Al. "At first we just wanted you to stop pranking us. The other stuff happened later."

"Hey!" Aunt Ginny waved her spatula at them from the stove. "I can't punish you for things I don't know about, remember!"

"Sorry, Mum," Al and James chorused.

Scorpius, the most level-headed of the bunch, went over to Sirius while James and Al squabbled, bringing Rose with him. "Hi, I'm Scorpius Malfoy-Potter."

Sirius's hesitation at Scorpius's name was obvious, but he shook Scorpius's outstretched hand. "Sirius Black."

Scorpius took the interaction in stride, blessedly calm man that he was. "I imagine there's a story here."

Sirius grinned, a dangerous, flashing thing. "Ask this one," he pointed at Rose. "She refuses to tell me, but maybe you can get it out of her."

Scorpius nudged Rose. "You told me you were drinking with Lily, Roxy, and the rest last night, not running around bringing back the dead."

Rose knew Scorpius was going to learn the story at some point, as the Weasley-Potter cousin grapevine was a fountain of delicious gossip. But she wanted to tell Scorpius in person while far away from Sirius. "I was not running around doing anything last night! I got very drunk, and that's how Sirius got here."

"Very nice story," Scorpius said mildly. "Good on the details. I can see why the Auror Department keeps you on."

Sirius chuckled while James slid into the seat next to him. James's gaze remained awe-struck even as he teased, "be nice to Rosie, Scorpius, she's obviously much more powerful than we thought."

"I've always been powerful, you walnut," Rose protested. "Or do you not remember when I beat you in Duelling Club as a First-Year?"

"No," James shook his head, "I can't recall."

"Ginny says Rose is very dangerous," Sirius said, his eyes on her. Rose bit back a swear. If she found Sirius this charismatic in the Grimmauld Place kitchen, when surrounded by her family, Rose was terrified for the coming days.

* * *

The next days were a nightmare in the best way possible.

Sirius adjusted easily to modern life, so Rose didn't know why she was needed, but she felt very lucky to get paid to watch a confident, attractive man try on expensive clothing that made him look more attractive. It was torturous, however, to smile calmly and not drag him into the nearest janitor's closet. Apart from when she escaped to her flat every evening for a long, relaxing shower, Rose's only respite from his charm was the hour she brought Sirius to St. Mungo's and he was ushered away for a health check-up and an appointment with a mind-healer.

Worse, Sirius and Rose got along surprisingly well. His humor had not been dulled by thirteen years in Azkaban. He was stupidly easy to talk to, sharing Rose's delight in both pranks and magical oddities.

Rose had not yet deduced if Sirius was actively flirting with her, or if charisma was so imbued into him that it was uncontrollable. Just a few days after Sirius's arrival when they went hunting for flats Rose thought she might scream from frustration. Naturally, the situation only escalated.

"I scouted here earlier," Rose told Sirius as they walked toward the realtor's office. "The owner is a bit of an arse—" And by bit of an arse, Rose meant gigantic fucking turd.

"Turn his hair green or kick his balls in revenge kind of arse?" Sirius asked. Rose had to respect his way of thinking.

Rose grimaced, unsure how Sirius would react to her own conflict-resolution skills. "He's a Muggle, so more like I told him we're dating so he would stop asking me to go out with him." She cursed herself for not thinking of a better solution at the time.

"So I'm thinking we could make him vomit up slugs," Sirius suggested, voice hard.

"We're not doing anything until we get what want. I would have personally told him to fuck off and found another realtor, but he's showing this gorgeous, pre-furnished flat in a fun neighborhood that I kind of fell in love with."

"Alright, Weasley. But no promises once I sign the paperwork."

At the realtor's building, Rose found herself stammering to Sirius, "we don't have to be convincing, or anything. I doubt anyone cares enough to question us."

Rose was quickly proven wrong.

"You're a lovely couple," the receptionist gushed, before they saw the creepy realtor. "How long have you been dating?"

Sirius placed his arm around Rose's waist. "Long enough to know she's the one," he said with stunning nonchalance.

Rose couldn't help herself. She was electrified by his simple touch and leaned further into Sirius's side, drowning herself in the ruse. "I'm so excited to live with him," she confided to the receptionist. "Do you think we'll find a good flat here?"

Rose and Sirius continued, dangerously, in this fashion throughout the afternoon with the realtor. Sirius was constantly touching her, his arm on her waist, their hands tangled, light brushes against each other. It was intoxicating. Rose had to keep reminding herself that no, she would never eat breakfast with Sirius at a kitchen island, or admire the sunset with him from a window.

Rose was flustered by the time the charade ended successfully. Sirius chose the flat that Rose had somehow known he would love. They were leaving the realtor's office, Sirius opening the doors for her with gallant flourishes, when he said, "we're very convincing."

Rose nodded, her usual loquaciousness failing in the midst of her raging fantasies about being domestic with Sirius bloody Black.

Unperturbed, Sirius grinned. "It felt a bit like a prank on the realtors."

"Right," Rose said. "I'll see you tomorrow at Grimmauld Place?"

"Can't wait," Sirius agreed. "What's the plan?"

"Very exciting things," Rose said flatly. Sirius raised his brows at her, so she explained, "paperwork."

"Boring. Though maybe we'll keep up our ruse, for some excitement," Sirius practically bounced on the balls of his feet, "can you imagine everyone's faces at the Ministry?"

Rose choked on air.

With the smallest twist of his mouth, which Rose was certainly not staring at, Sirius's expression became wicked. "I'll keep it up, unless you tell me how you got me out of the Veil."

Rose's stomach lurched. "I told you—"

"Can't blame a bloke for being interested." Sirius winked at her.

Rose was certain this man was going to make her either a pining, hormonal mess or a recluse living in a hermitage far away from him. Perhaps both.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sirius," she said wearily, hand going up to massage her temple.

The next day Sirius lounged in the chair next to Rose's desk, looking far more handsome under the harsh Auror Office lighting than anyone should. He was very bad for Rose's nerves. Sirius hadn't gone through with his previous threat of pretending they were dating, or else Rose would melt further into a puddle of hysterics.

"I just went to the break room," Sirius said.

"Tell me we still have biscuits," Rose groaned, not looking up from her paperwork for the Department of Mysteries's investigation into her. Sirius had long ago abandoned his own tedious forms that confirmed he was indeed alive.

"Didn't check," Sirius said blithely. "But I overheard that someone named Martin Massey bought you apology roses."

"Fucking prick," Rose muttered, gaze jerking to see Sirius's unreadable expression. Old and fresh anger alike burst into Rose's chest. "He better not have."

Rose was certain that seeing Martin in the office nearly every day after their break-up had prolonged her grief for what hadn't even been a decent relationship in the first place. If Martin though he could gain Rose's forgiveness with a few wilting flowers, Rose would shove the thorny rose stems down his throat.

Sirius leaned forward in his chair. "I live for office gossip."

Rose grimaced. "No you don't. You live because I said stupid shit when I was drunk."

"And why," Sirius asked. "Are you so unwilling to tell me what you said? I'm very good at keeping secrets in case you were somehow doing fun illegal spells while pissed."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Finish your paperwork, Sirius." Confessing to illegal spells would almost be better than explaining Sirius had appeared after she said _"Accio_ sexy wizard."

"I can't finish it," Sirius held up the paperwork and pointed at a question asking him to explain his revival, "I don't know that answer."

"Tell them to address those inquiries to the Auror Department," Rose said.

"I am addressing my inquiries to the Auror Department," Sirius insisted. "I'm asking you."

They argued in circles until Rose, worn down, placed her face in her hands. Sirius unfortunately deserved to know how he had been brought back to life. "I'll tell you later," she said. "But not while everyone can overhear." Rose knew that worse than telling Sirius the embarrassing story of bringing him back from the Veil was having other people know.

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "Is it salacious?"

"Very," Rose said wryly.

"I have more questions."

"Please don't."

"Why is Martin Massey buying you apology roses, and why is he a fucking prick?"

Rose clenched her quill in her fist. "We were dating and he's a prick."

"I'm sorry." The empathy on Sirius's face was surprising to Rose, spilling the story out of her.

"I should've seen it sooner, because he was always a bit too eager to see my family, but it was still surprising when I overheard him telling his dad that he was dating me because he thought my mum or Uncle Harry would be more likely to promote him," she said, berating herself for spending so much time in a relationship with Martin.

Sirius looked as furious as Rose still felt. He opened his mouth, but Rose ploughed on. "I confronted him and he didn't deny it. He said he was glad I found out, because he hadn't gotten anything out of our relationship so we might as well break up."

Sirius snorted, "and he thinks all he needs is some roses to make up for that?"

"Right?" Rose agreed, gesticulating with wild hands. "I guess now that I'm in the Daily Prophet for bringing you back to life instead of for crying in the Ministry atrium I'm interesting to him again, and that's why he's a prat enough to buy apology roses. Stupid fucking cliche to buy me roses anyway. I prefer chocolate."

Sirius was silent for a few moments, his jaw clenched, before he said, "do you want me to turn him into a plant? I know this nifty spell that'll make him a cactus for an hour or two."

Rose smiled through her watering eyes. "Yeah, kind of."

Sirius caught Rose's hand and squeezed it. "Great, that'll be loads more fun than this stupid paperwork."

Rose, as an Auror, should not have found Sirius turning Martin into a cactus as endearing as she did, but she assumed a twisted sense of humor was natural after growing up with her cousins. It softened Rose enough that she agreed to eat dinner at Sirius's new flat that weekend and tell him how he had arrived in 2032.

Rose arrived, apprehensive, on the designated evening with food from her favorite Thai restaurant. Sirius opened the door while carrying a bottle of wine, which was another point in his favor.

"I also have butterbeer," he said, ushering Rose in.

Rose put the food on the kitchen island. "No, wine is fitting. It's what brought you here in the first place."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Rose busied herself with arranging the food, wondering how this evening would go, how she would be able to look at Sirius after she told him the story of that night. "If you can get through dinner without annoying me, I'll tell you."

"That's easy," Sirius chuckled. "I'm a delight."

Rose couldn't decide if it was fortunate or unfortunate that Sirius was a delight during dinner. He was damnably charming. The conversation and wine flowed easily, and Rose enjoyed herself far too much. Her feelings, on even more of a rollercoaster than usual, raced from joyous to aroused to annoyed to resigned to amused every minute.

Sirius, adding to his faults and charms, read her too well. "You've had a good time! Admit it."

Rose made an elaborate show of thinking, before she laughed and relented. "Too lovely of a time really. Now I need to tell you how this is all possible."

Sirius winked, making Rose's stomach do Olympic-level gymnastics. "I have something that'll help. He slid off his stool at the kitchen island, returning with more wine and a bar of Honeyduke's chocolate. "Let's sit on the couch."

As she settled into the couch, Rose marveled at how Sirius of all people seemed to know her so well. "I don't want to tell you because it's a very silly story," she explained.

Sirius sat down beside her, so they were facing each other, and handed her some chocolate. "Well, if it's silly," Sirius drawled, laughter in his voice. "I understand your hesitation."

"Oh, you understand?" Rose said, in a matching tone, one that was edging closer and closer to her flirting voice as the evening continued. Merlin, she was really betraying herself. "So I don't have to tell you then?"

"Rose," Sirius wheedled, leaning forward to diminish the space between them on the couch. He filled her wine glass up again. "Drink more wine. That'll help."

Rose took a fortifying sip. And then another. "Alright," she licked a drop of wine off her lips and swore she saw Sirius's eyes following the motion, "so I was really drunk that night," she held up a hand, "I don't make a habit of it."

Sirius shrugged. "I'm the one plying you with wine and chocolate right now."

"Right," Rose said. "That's the issue. People buy me wine."

"That is a big problem," Sirius sympathized, putting another piece of chocolate in Rose's free hand. "So I won't tell you about the other bottles I bought."

"Sirius, no," Rose laughed, drawing out her words. She was utterly comfortable on this couch with Sirius, more comfortable than she should be.

Sirius smirked. "I'm very prepared to get this story out of you, Rose."

Rose giggled again. "I promised I would tell you! I was drunk with my cousins, because Roxy was tired of me moping because of Martin—"

"How long ago did you break up with that arsehole?"

"Three weeks ago, about."

Sirius goggled at her. "So not long ago."

Rose waved her hand, brushing the sentiment away. "The relationship sucked even before I realized Martin was an arsehole. I honestly should have gotten over it in a day."

"Alright," Sirius murmured. "So you were drunk."

"I was drunk. Lily had a list of ways to get revenge on Martin. You would've approved of the list. One of her plans was to get a really hot man and a cute dress to make Martin jealous—"

"I see where I come in now," Sirius said, preening.

Rose closed her eyes, certain was transforming into a bright red tomato, and unable to look at Sirius's gorgeous face any longer. "I was really drunk—"

"You were drunk? You haven't mentioned that yet."

Rose laughed again. "Sirius! it's important to the story!"

"I'm sure it is!"

Rose took a deep breath and said the words in a rush. "I said _Accio sexy wizard who is the opposite of my ex and hasn't dated one of my cousins._ Then you appeared." Rose looked down at the couch, not sure why she wasn't running away in humiliation, and said, "Merlin it's so ridiculous. Can you see why I didn't want to tell you?"

Sirius was a picture of amusement, his eyes wide and laughter roaring out of him. "You're not joking are you?"

"No," Rose said. "If I was joking I would've come up with something much better than that."

"It's brilliant! I think I want it tattooed."

"Please don't," Rose pleaded. "I could never look at you again."

Sirius lifted her chin with two fingers so their faces were tantalizingly close to each other. "We can't have that can we?"

Rose narrowed her eyes, nerves focused on the feeling of his fingertips. The atmosphere in the room had changed, shifting from suggestions of mutual attraction to something more once Sirius had touched her.

"You're flirting with me," She accused, mouth wavering between a frown and a smile.

Sirius swung between joyous humor and dangerous charm, so Rose wasn't surprised when he laughed. "You just realized, did you?"

"No," Rose said, twisting her wine glass nervously. "Well, yes. I wasn't sure if you flirted with everyone or just me."

"Just you, Rose." Sirius said, no laughter in his tone now, just a heated gaze that Rose didn't think she would ever become used to. "I can take the competition, but I hope you're not going around summoning other sexy wizards."

"It's a bit inappropriate, Sirius," Rose cautioned. Sirius really needed to be covered in neon caution tape to make the world safe from susceptible people like Rose.

"I don't think so," Sirius argued, moving closer to Rose.

Blushing, Rose bit her lip. "It's very complicated."

"Everything's complicated." Sirius shifted even closer now. Forced to look into Sirius's eyes, Rose forcefully realized what a smoldering look was.

"Why me?" Rose asked, unable to stop the pitiful twinge in her voice, unable to not think of Martin choosing her because of her Mum or the boys she had gone to Hogsmeade with, who had peppered her with questions about Harry Potter and asked for free stuff from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"I have a very good intuition."

"What?"

Sirius looked too smug for Rose's peace of mind as his eyes flicked between the two of them. "Can't you feel it? We would work well together." Sirius said it has statement of fact, his ever-present self-assurance unwavering.

"Really?" Rose scoffed even as her heart-beat danced at a pace that must have been medically unwise.

"I would prove it to you," Sirius said, his words a slow, taunting drawl. "But it's a bit inappropriate."

"Sirius," Rose snapped, annoyed at her concerns being weaponized against her. She realized she was falling into his trap as she closed the distance between them, but Rose was too stripped by the pressure between them to do anything but grab Sirius and press her lips onto his. Then Sirius was kissing her back with the same vicious tenderness and Rose was not thinking of complications, because her body was on fire, and her hands had made their way to Sirius's soft hair. Nothing mattered but how close she could mold herself into Sirius's body.

"Told you so," Sirius breathed into her ear. Rose, torn between hitting his chest and Apparating them to the bedroom, settled for gripping his hair and kissing him again.

"You're so bloody annoying," she groused, dizzyingly aware that she had climbed into Sirius's lap, straddling him into a corner of the couch.

Sirius grinned, his hands resting comfortably on her waist, burning through her thin shirt. "Am I?"

"Yes! You're _Sirius Black_ and I'm _Rose Weasley!_ "

"Thanks for the reminder." Sirius chuckled, pressing a quick kiss on her forehead.

Rose nearly growled at him, frustrated that he didn't understand why that was so momentous. "I can't be upset about this, because—"

"—we work really well together."

Rose glared. "I might need more convincing."

Rose was very proficient in self-sabotage.

The next day found her snogging Sirius Black in a field she had met him at with the more innocent notion that she thought a furniture store was in the vicinity.

"Sirius, stop," Rose said, nearly breathless. He stopped immediately.

"Rose," he whined, mournful. Merlin, the way Sirius looked like he wanted to devour Rose did very interesting things to her heartbeat.

"Look," Rose, combed her fingers his glorious hair, "I fucking want this too. I'm pretty sure my skin has been on fire since I met you."

Sirius chuckled. "You blush a lot."

Rose was pressed against Sirius in a public park, which should have put her past her peak of embarrassment, but she found her face heating up even more. "Oh Merlin."

"It's cute!" Sirius bent to kiss her again, but Rose used the tiny bit of will-power and common-sense she had left to push him away from her onto the ground. He frowned at her, making a puppy face that Rose wanted to kiss away.

Instead she sat up and ran her hands over her face. "I do, apparently, have a moral or two. And doing this," she waved her hand between them, "while being paid by the Auror Department to check up on you, goes against those morals. It's unethical. My mum is the bloody Minister and the Queen of ethics!"

Sirius flopped down on the ground, sprawling his long body on the grass. "The Auror Department told you to check up on me to make sure I'm still sane and haven't disintegrated, or whatever," he grinned up at her, "you have to touch me to make sure I'm not disintegrating. And if I don't put my hands on you this bloody minute I'll go insane. Put that in your Auror report."

The on fire part of Rose thought Sirius was making a decent argument, but Auror Rose made a face and said, "maybe I would feel differently if Uncle Harry wasn't my boss, but he is. I respect him too much to do this."

Sirius pouted, an expression that would have looked absurd on anyone else. "What am I supposed to do then? Go insane?"

"We just can't tell anyone," Rose compromised, because all of her was begging to touch Sirius again. "It has to be secret."

Sirius smirked. "Gladly. I don't think the things I want to do with you are fit for public view anyway."

Rose blushed more, wondering how fast they could Apparate out of the park.

* * *

_September 2032_

"Oh Merlin," Lily squealed as she considered Rose's story. "That's adorable. Just . . . Sirius Black is perfect for you, isn't he?"

"Apparently so," Rose mumbled, becoming even more morose. "I'm the one who fucked everything up later."

"At least you're honest," Roxy said, eyes narrowed. "And how long were you sneaking around fucking in Ministry closets and eating take out together for?"

Rose blushed. "We only did it in a closet once!"

"I would be proud of you if you hadn't hid it from us," Lily said from the side of the room where she was messily braiding Victoire's shining hair.

"I'm sorry."

"How long?" Dom demanded. "How long did you keep it secret before you spilled to Roxy?"

Ashamed, Rose hid her face. "Four months."

"I knew something was up with you!" Roxy yelled. "You were glowing! I thought you had just gotten a new moisturizer or something."

"No," smirked Dom, "just a new boy."

"You were glowing," Victoire agreed. "We have to fix this. You obviously love him."

Rose buried her face in a pillow, unwilling to confess to anything. "I need chocolate."

"No," Victoire ordered. "You just need to go to Sirius and apologize for being—"

"An idiot." Dom said.

"A little overwhelmed," Molly soothed.

"Just as dramatic as the rest of us," Victoire interjected. "We've all done stupid shit. It's why we're so good at fixing it."

Molly wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders. "Don't worry, Rosie."

Very worried, Rose burst into tears.


	3. Chapter 3

_September, 2032_

"Are we dating already, or do I need to take you out to a fancy restaurant again but call it a date?" Sirius asked through Rose's intense concentration on _Miss Congeniality_ , which Rose believed was a vital piece of Sirius's education on the modern world.

Rose looked away from Sandra Bullock's performance with cups. "What?"

Dating was something else altogether, something different from the casual ease she and Sirius now enjoyed. During the past few months Rose had spent as much time as possible at Sirius's flat, often slipping into bed with Sirius at late hours of the night after an exhausting work day. Rose blamed this habit on the delicious wake up and breakfast Sirius provided, instead of admitting that she couldn't bear to be away from him.

Sirius was unabashed. "I haven't said this since the 1970s, but will you be my girlfriend?"

Rose laughed nervously. "But you're . . ." she gestured at him and then at herself, "and I'm . . . and I thought . . . and there's . . . ."

"Sorry, I don't speak that language," Sirius said, infuriatingly calm as Rose's mind fell apart and her stomach churned.

"Goddamnit Sirius, I didn't know you wanted to date!"

It wasn't Sirius's most insane idea, and Rose could have seen it coming from all their time spent together, but she was truly shocked. Sirius had enough of a devil-may-care persona that Rose thought he would be an eternal bachelor, and she had felt comfort in the odd logic that she and Sirius couldn't have a horrible break up if they were never dating. Rose had refused to think of the messiness of a future with Sirius when she could simply relish moments of cuddling on his couch and going on adventures with him during the weekends.

"Now I'm telling you," he said, a small crinkle in his brow the only sign that he wasn't perfectly at ease. "If you're freaking out we can talk about moving in together later, although I don't see the point since you practically live here."

"It's a very nice flat," Rose agreed softly, wondering if she could shift this frightening conversation into a safe one about different types of apartments.

"You picked it and you have good taste."

"Thanks." Rose recalled when she and Sirius went flat-hunting, at the very beginning of their dance of flirtation, when they barely knew each other.

Sirius paused the movie and grasped Rose's hands. "Rose, I don't know what's going through that silly wonderful mind of yours, but I really want to date you, and do disgustingly romantic things with you, and finally hold your hand when we go to the Burrow every Sunday."

Rose's stomach plummeted out from her. "Grandma still doesn't like you," she said weakly. "And you're Andromeda's cousin, and Uncle Harry's godfather, and you went to Hogwarts with Grandma's brothers. Uncle George and my Dad are trying to hire you! It won't be like me just bringing a guy home to meet the family. Grandma will probably accuse you of cradle-robbing for Merlin's sake."

Sirius scoffed. "I can take care of Molly, and," he looked at her with a roguish smirk, "there was no cradle-robbing. If I recall you were the one—"

"—exactly!" Rose held up her hand. "What the hell do you think Uncle Harry will do if he finds out what his _niece_ was doing with his _godfather_ while I was supposed to be working!"

"I wasn't planning on telling him that! And," Sirius chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised if he's done the same with Ginny."

"Ew, stop it," Rose snatched her hands out of Sirius's and covered her ears, "you think I want to hear that? Scorpius told me that Uncle Harry gave Al the same sex talk that you gave Uncle Harry. I'm having sex with the man who told my Uncle how to have sex. Every single day I try not to think about it because it makes me feel squicky."

Sirius laughed openly at that. "Rose, come on, that's funny."

Not in a mood to find anything funny, Rose shook her head wildly, voice plaintive. "No, it's weird. You're so intwined in my family and I don't want it to be complicated. I like that no one knows. Why can't we just keep doing this?"

"Rose, every relationship has its complications. Why do you care so goddamn much what your family will think?

"Why do I care? Because my family members are the only people who see me! Everyone else just sees Rose Weasley daughter of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley or niece of Uncle Harry or the little girl pretending to be an Auror or the Daily Prophet's list of '25 times Rose Weasley cried in public' and no one bloody sees me as just Rose but my family!"

"So let them see us!"

"Grandma will have a bloody heart-attack and just because your family was ass-backwards doesn't mean I want to mess up my relationship with mine because I've bloody well killed my grandmother!" Rose's satisfaction at landing a verbal blow on Sirius outweighed the twinge of guilt in her chest.

Sirius's face tightened with anger. "Rose, you're being ridiculous. They love you, why the fuck would they care so much?"

"How will they ever understand us?" She asked hoarsely, standing up from Sirius's couch. "I'm going to go find a normal guy to bring to the Burrow, not Sirius bloody Black." She shuddered. Rose wouldn't know where to start if she explained their relationship to her family. What would she say, that she was a fool for prison tattoos and she liked playing fetch?

"Fine," Sirius scoffed, his voice crueler than Rose had ever heard it. "Just find someone else who will date you because your mum is the Minister."

Rose was crying now, only surprised it hadn't started sooner. "Fuck you."

"Is this what this about then?" Sirius retorted, his anger now edged with exhaustion. You're not over Martin Massey and I'm just a fucking rebound? Am I good enough to follow you around and transfigure Martin into a houseplant but not good enough to date?"

"I don't give a rat's ass about Martin!" Rose exploded. "But do you not understand the humiliation of that break-up? I don't want more humiliation, or, or pity! Us dating would be hard enough for my family, but can you imagine if we broke up? Everything would be horrible and tense and I couldn't take it!"

"Alright," Sirius growled, sneering. "You clearly have a laundry list of stupid fucking reasons why we shouldn't be together when you're really just scared, so I think you should go."

"I was bloody planning on it, you self-righteous arse!"

The satisfying slam of the door as Rose threw herself out of the apartment did nothing to sooth her raw, grated nerves.

* * *

_September 2032_

"You're ridiculous sometimes," Dom said flatly after Rose, fully ashamed of herself, relayed the last time she and Sirius had spoken. "That's what you get for keeping secrets from us."

"I know," Rose sobbed. "Once I got home and ate a bowl of cereal I realized what I did. First I'm dumb enough to fall in love with him and then I'm dumb enough to throw it away because Grandma might over react. She over reacts at everything!"

"Just because you had a few missteps doesn't mean we can't fix this," Molly said cheerfully.

Lily pulled out her notebook and flourished her overlarge quill. "Anyone have suggestions for Rose's apology to Sirius?"

* * *

_September 2032_

Rose, having weeped away her pride in Molly's arms, appeared on Sirius's doorstep convinced she looked like a girl at the end of some of the Muggle horror movies Scorpius and Albus liked to watch together. Lily and Dom had both said that she was, unsurprisingly, acting over dramatic, and looked fine, if tired.

Combing her hand through her hair, Rose took a deep breath, reminded herself of her cousins' advice, reminded herself that all she really wanted was to eat Thai take-out with Sirius, and knocked on the door.

The door didn't open.

Feeling courage drain rapidly out of her, Rose knocked again.

It opened seconds later. Looking at Sirius's face, Rose felt the familiar rush of heat that always accompanied seeing him, and let that current fill her up with courage again.

"It's," Sirius frowned at his watch, "almost one in the morning, Rose."

"Er. Sorry?" Rose offered, her hand coming up to rub her collarbone.

"I was sleeping."

Now Rose was terribly flustered. "Shit, sorry. I'll come back tomorrow."

Sirius rolled his eyes and opened the door further, gesturing for her to come in. "Just come in and say what you want, Rose. Merlin knows I can't stop you." His glare as Rose entered the flat was steely, telling Rose that the past days had not diminished his anger.

Rose didn't bother sitting down, standing tense in the kitchen, her fight or flight response feeling like sparks under her skin.

"Look," Rose said, launching into her speech before she lost her nerve. "I'm here to apologize. I know what I said was really fucked up. I shouldn't have made you feel like I didn't appreciate you or that I didn't care about us, and I'm sorry that I let my fear make me act stupid."

Facing Sirius, Rose found it difficult to remember the script Molly and Victoire had written out for her. Rose wished they were here supporting her, so she wouldn't have to face Sirius's rightful fury on her own. Of course, Rose reminded herself, as much as her cousins were always by her side, they were also as likely as Sirius to call her out on her bullshit.

Rose took a deep breath, forcing herself to look at Sirius's stony face, his jaw clenched. "I do appreciate you. I just, I never know what I want, and that's why I'm a hot mess and, well, in this situation. But when I'm with you I never want those moments to end. And when I'm not around you I'm constantly thinking about you."

Rose looked away from Sirius's gaze and down at her own fidgeting hands, completely off-script now as her voice weakened and she neared dangerously close to crying. "And," she choked back a sob, tears filling her eyes, "that's enough for me to start acting like a sodding Gryffindor and tell you that, um, I'm embarrassingly in love with you, and I'll bloody well tear down the Wizarding World if there's a chance I can be with you." Rose, fully crying now, put her fist in front of her mouth in an effort to stop the flood of words.

"Rose—"

"—and!" Rose cried, ready to dig herself further into this hole of tangled words and past mistakes. "You don't have to accept my apology, because I've been awful and you don't owe me anything. I'm just really sorry and I really love you. And . . ." she trailed off lamely, "I'll go now."

"You can't fucking tell me you love me and then just walk away!" Sirius burst out.

"I thought," Rose stuttered. "I thought you would want me to leave. You look . . ." Rose gestured with a limp hand at his angry face.

Rose blinked and then Sirius was kissing her, lips bruising despite his heartbreakingly tender hands cradling her face and the wet tears on her cheeks.

Speechless, Rose stared at him when Sirius broke apart and rested his forehead on hers. "I should laugh at you and shut the door in your face like you did to me," he said, warm breath ghosting over Rose's flushed skin.

"Uh," Rose said eloquently.

"But I'm too fucking old to ruin what we have by being petty. I already bought apology chocolate for you."

Rose nodded fervently, her usual hurricane of over-thinking banished by the contentment she felt when pressed against Sirius, fiendfyre gathering in her body. "I agree."

"You agree I'm too old?" Sirius asked, his teasing voice reassuring Rose.

Rose flicked her eyes lower, not stopping the smirk on her blushing face. "I don't know," she bit on her lip, "old and infirm enough that I might have to confine you to bed."

Sirius laughed, making Rose grin at the sound. He straightened up and pulled Rose into a wonderfully crushing hug, her head head nestled into the crook of his neck. "You're a little flirt. I can't believe you came here to seduce me."

"I did not!" Rose huffed, although his words reminded her of the drawer full of lacy things in her flat. "If I was trying to seduce you I wouldn't look this pathetic."

"You're beautiful." Sirius dropped a gentle kiss on Rose's head.

Thinking she might be glowing from joy, Rose said, "and you would know if I was trying to seduce you."

Rose felt the rumble of Sirius's chuckle. "You promise?"

"Do you promise to bear with me when I inevitably fuck up?"

"Of course I will."

It was unbearably sweet. More tears started running down Rose's face, so she pressed even further into Sirius's embrace to hide her sniffle. "You mean it?"

"Despite your best efforts, I love you Rose."

Rose's smile was first hidden in Sirius's chest and seconds later swallowed when Sirius tipped up her chin and kissed her again.

* * *

_October, 2032_

At the next wine night, Victoire clapped with excitement at Rose's explanation that she and Sirius were now happily arguing over how much drawer space to give each other. "Excellent, Rose! We're so proud of you. I want to hear more details, but first we have to get Lucy the promotion she deserves!"

Rose turned her gaze on blushing Lucy. "Listen to them," she said, laughing. "If they helped me out of all this, they'll get you running the world in no time, Lu."

Lily grinned, holding her notebook aloft. "And then we're making a coven!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: i can't believe i wrote that cheesy cheesy ending.
> 
> Pls review! Reviews are pure seratonin!
> 
> This is cross-posted from fanfiction. net


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